14 Lullaby of Woe

**Dream**

Where am I?

Standing there, nothing seemed right.

"Noir," a voice spoke.

At first, my mind couldn't register if it was a man or woman until it spoke to me again, clearing my mind of any doubt.

A man.

"Noir," the voice spoke once more as I sat up and walked through the darkness, each footstep causing a faint rippling glow on the ground.

The voice called out again, echoing around me in the abyss. No matter which way I looked, I saw nothing except darkness.

The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't recall where I had heard it.

I stopped when a figure came into view; an irregularity in vibration rippling over his appearance. He continued to ripple like water on a rainy day.

"Who are you," I questioned but the man stood still, before he chanted.

"Little wolf, little wolf, quiet and still. What do you see from atop your hill?"

What?

"Can you see up? Can you see down? Can you see the dead things all around town?"

What the fuck?

Looking around, I still saw nothing but blackness before turning my attention back to the mirage.

"Little wolf, little wolf, quick and slick. Death closes in, so runaway quick."

Death?

"Can you see their eyes? Can you see their mouth? Can you see the dead things strode all about?"

When he chanted this, azure hues began to glow against the obscurity for an agonizing moment before blue turned into ecru, sending a chill through me so great, I thought my bones would shatter.

"Little wolf, little wolf, armor and sword. All the Alpha's wolves will fight in the war. Can you see their fur? Can you see their jaws? Can you see the dead that's skewered in their claws?"

When the man said this, a figure began to form around the eyes; the eyes were first, then a paw with perfectly sharpened claws then a head emerged from the darkness causing me to gasp.

It's black, white and brown.  It's head shook as drool dropped from its maw, ears flat against it's fur.

A Wolf.

I took a couple steps back when the sound of multiple growls caught my attention from behind me.

Daring to look over my shoulder, I was met with a pair of cerulean eyes and another pair of bright sterling ones; neither set was focused on me but the wolf ahead.

Before I could fathom what I was seeing, the man snapped his fingers, whisking me away from the darkness only to stand under a dead tree on a hilltop of dying grass overlooking a village that was still slightly ablaze, tendrils of smoke littering the sky.

The valley below was littered in bodies: werewolves, lycans, other odd beasts, humans and horses.

What in Helheim am I looking at?

In the middle of it, through one of the stray and open flames, I saw myself standing there, bloodied and screaming.

Wha—

Before I could finish my own mental question, the man spoke, yet again.

"Little wolf, little wolf, ash and smoke; angry and howling, the little wolf broke. Can you hear your song? Can you hear your shriek? Can you see him dead with a sword in his cheek?"

I stood dumbfounded as I listened to the mirage's words while noticing a man's head on a pike.

Yet the me that was screaming uncontrollably, wasn't me. I was still on the hilltop, staring down into the valley but the crying me could be heard from even where I was standing.

Then that black, white and brown wolf approached my hysterical form, pinning her down and snapping it's bloodied jaws in her face. Before she could form a probable cause of action, a black and brown lycan emerged.

Slamming into the wolf, they fought before the wolf stilled and the lycan looked back at the other me with emerald hues.

Then he howled, making me jump before the man reappeared before me.

Everything stopped and all noise was banished from existence.

The ripple of a man looked down at me, an airless magic wrapped around me as he spoke a language I couldn't comprehend.

The magic encased me, warm and soothing; before I felt myself being pulled back to consciousness, the blurred figure grabbed me and started to whisper something in my ear but was cut short by a voice repeating my name.

It was then it felt like massive hands grabbed my shoulders and began shaking me.

I was ripped backwards until color blinded my vision like how paint reacts to water.

**End of Dream**

Screaming, I shot up just for my head to hit something hard.

What the—

"Noir," a voice questioned.

Looking up to what I hit upon awakening, I was met with mossy orbs.

"You alright?"

Trying to control my breathing and still my heart, I moved back from Liam and looked around.

"Where am I?"

Ignoring my question, Liam scooted closer to me.

"Are. You. Alright," he asked again, his eyes flickering for a moment.

"I, uh, yeah, I'm fine. Just had a weird dream, that's all," I mumbled as I rubbed the back of my neck recalling the dream as if it had actually happened. A shiver ran down my spine.

When I moved again, the furs became disheveled, exposing my legs.

There was a scar on my right thigh but the scar itself had an ashen color and it was swirling.

Wait, it's moving?!

"I can explain," Liam whispered but I barely heard him.

Leaning forward, I touched it then gasped as my body became cold. My veins literally felt like ice was spreading through them.

It didn't hurt though. It actually felt... pleasurable.

After a moment though, the scar began to vanish but the ashen colored stayed behind only to creep across my skin.

Creeping it's way upward, I began to panic before I stood, discarding my tunic.

Staring down at whatever it was that stayed behind, it circulated around my thigh, up my stomach, between my breast and swirled at the center of my chest.

Looking around, I saw a mirror and launched myself towards it, ignoring my now-state of nudity.

This is odd looking... is it even a mirror?

I stared at the oddity for a moment before looking at my reflection and whatever was on my chest. As it's swirled and began to transhape; twisting, turning and becoming darker.

When it was done, the air was stolen from my lungs. In the center of my chest and creeping down the valley between my breast was a marking.

In the center of my chest was a thick phyletic outline of half of a wolf head. The other part that should make up the other side of the wolf head, was a rose, it's stem going down and curving under my right breast.

The wolf's eye was a bright emerald green.

It's beautiful but what the hell? How did I even get this and how was it able to move?

A sudden movement broke me from my thoughts. Looking behind me through the mirror, Liam was standing behind me, his eyes glowing and nostrils flared before a piece of cloth hit me in the back of the head.

"What the fu—," I began but was cut off but Liam moving forward, slamming my body flush against him.

He stood behind me, one hand on my hip and the other snaking around me so his arm is between my breasts, fingertips tracing the fresh marking causing me to shudder.

"You shouldn't be standing around naked in front of any man, including me. We are primal by natural and may get the wrong idea," he whispered against the shell of my ear.

"I... uh..."

Wait, what?

Looking down at myself, the reality of what I actually did hit me like a ton of cobblestone.

Jumping, I forgot about the branding or whatever it was on my chest and spun around only to be slammed back into Liam's chest.

I felt Liam's body shake as he embraced me in a tight hug, nearly crushing my body against his before he sighed and backed away.

No sooner had he done that, a cough caught both of our attention. My head immediately jerked to the right and I saw a man standing in the doorway.

"If you two are done, I would like you both in my office," the man spoke before he moved to leave. Right before he exited the room, he turned and looked me in eye.

"Glad you're awake, child."

With that, he left and I scrambled for my tunic Liam previously threw at me.

Throwing it over my head, it draped over my body before another piece of fabric hit me.

"Finish getting dressed. When you're done, meet me outside," Liam sighed as he left the room.

What the fuck just happened?

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